Food.

Feast By Southeast

Choice Courses At A Five-star Resort And Cooking School

May 16, 1993|By William Rice, the Magazine's food and wine columnist.

Recently I had an opportunity to revisit the Greenbriar, the beautiful resort and spa at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The rugged, coal-rich mountains of West Virginia are not where one would expect to find a five-star resort, much less an internationally recognized center of culinary training. Yet it's there.

Not only does the Greenbriar conduct something akin to a graduate-degree program for culinary school graduates, it also has a program for non-professionals as well. Rodney Stoner, the Greenbriar's dynamic director of food and beverage, has forged an alliance with Anne Willan, founder of the well-known French cooking school La Varenne. This year Willan and guest chefs conducted eight one-week (Sunday-to-Friday) sessions in March, April and May.

FOR THE RECORD - Corrections and clarifications.This published story misspelled the Greenbrier resort. The Tribune regrets the error.

During my visit, Willan's guest was Julia Child, who in a demonstration scattered her famous quips like poppy seeds as she roasted chicken by three different methods: high heat ("I think it's a horrid method," was her verdict), in a cocotte ("This is good for tough, free-range birds") and trussed, browned, then cooked at about 350 degrees (her favorite).

The same day, as part of a conference involving members of the American Institute of Food and Wine and the International Association of Culinary Professionals, six Southeastern chefs demonstrated the dish each of them would prepare for a banquet that evening.

Below are a recipe from Elizabeth Terry of Elizabeth on 37th, Savannah, Ga., and two signature items from the Greenbriar repertoire. They are included in a handsome, just-published volume, the Greenbriar Cookbook. It sells for $39.50 at the resort. To order a book or to be put on the mailing list for information about the 1994 La Varenne at the Greenbriar season, dial 800-624-6070 and ask for either the Gourmet Shop or the cooking-school coordinator.

1. Prepare the relish: Pour the black-eyed peas into a bowl, cover with warm water and let soak for 1 hour. Drain peas in a sieve, rinsing carefully to remove any remaining dirt. Pour the drained peas into a saucepan, cover them with water and add the diced sweet potato, a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer gently until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Add the olive oil to a skillet and saute 2 cups of minced onion, while stirring, until the onions are transparent. Scrape them into a bowl and cool.

2. Combine the black-eyed peas, sauteed onions, red bell pepper, parsley, basil, chives and raspberry vinegar to finish the relish. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. While the peas and onions are cooling, prepare a stuffing for the quail: In a medium-size skillet, briefly saute the sausage and remaining 1/2 cup of minced onion, stirring to break up the sausage. Do not brown the sausage. Add the minced apple and immediately pour fat from the skillet. Scrape the sausage mixture into a bowl and chill. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point.)

4. Rinse the quail under running water and check the cavities for any bones. When the stuffing is cool, divide it into 12 portions and stuff the quail, placing them in a shallow broiler pan. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. Prepare the sauce by putting the garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, teriyaki sauce, thyme, lemon peel and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add the peanut oil.

6. Coat the quail with the sauce and set them in the middle level of the oven to roast until golden, about 20 minutes. While the quail are roasting, divide the relish among 6 plates. Remove the quail from the oven and carefully place 2 on a bed of relish on each plate. Serve with corn on the cob, a tossed green salad and a lightly chilled pinot noir wine.